EDIT: I'm revising this up to 4* after a few years of living in Stokey and coming here occasionally. Food is always consistent and staff remain nice. I was probably a bit harsh and the restaurant can't really help who comes in. The staff are pretty nice in here, but the food is nothing to write home about. The real problem is the clientele. Imagine every stereotype you hold in your head about North London mummies: this is where the worst of what you're imagining bring their tiny terrors for lunch. I say this as a North London mummy with two tiny terrors of my own. read more

The Blue legume is one of the more high end eateries on Stoke Newington Church Street. Its pavement tables get very busy in sunny weather with a busy people-watching crowd. Its a great place to go for brunch on the weekend, if you can get a table that is. The conservatory in the back is a very soothing area to eat in, with crawling vines on the glass. This is to be avoided in very sunny weather though, as the sun turns the back into something of a steamhouse. In the evening, it becomes a more intimate and jazzy dimly lit restaurant with candles flickering on the tables. The food is very good, with a range of dishes that offer something for everyone. I had a salmon salad, which was delightful in its simplicity with lettuce, parmesan shavings, avocado and olives. The service was friendly and quick as well. I'll be back soon enough. read more

The Blue Legume - Coffee & Tea Near Me - London, XGL

I have it on good record that talking too loudly about where you like going for Brunch is a bit of a foodie cardinal sin. By all means go for word of mouth but writing publicly about a place runs the risk of never finding a table. But I feel the food in The Blue Legume is too good to be silenced about. Well I am talking about Brunch anyhow. I love brunch, but my beloved especially does and will even opt for brunch over looking at shoes if the hunger takes her. (If you saw her shoe collection you would understand why the brunch here must be good). The things I like about this place is that there is never too long a wait for a table - but at weekends I advise you to come as early as you can or at least be willing to wait, and also make sure you have been to a cash point in advance too. The way we snag tables there is in a two pronged manner. Whoever knows what they want already will hunt for a table and the other person who is deciding will queue to order food. The most expensive brunchy item is just under 7 pounds! There is everything from Eggs Benedict, Florentine and even Royale, to things such as fruit plates, granola, Halloumi and my favorite - The Hash Brown breakfast which comes with toast, bacon, scrambled eggs and a grilled tomato. My second favorite is the Fruit with honey waffles. It is divine, fruit cut beautifully and delicately served with maple syrup. To say it's a bit good is an understatement. The eggs here are always good and I like that they know how to poach an egg beautifully every time. The coffee and hot chocolate is of reasonable standard as is the fresh fruit juice. The quality of ingredients used is something I commend as they don't use the cheapest, naffest ingredients and cover it in grease and as your arteries clog you can feel the massive mark up with each mouthful. This isn't the case here, or cleverly it doesn't feel like it's the case. The staff are always super busy but always manage to smile a little and I have never had any massive technical problems with them. Here they like to offer something of decent quality and consistently they serve up great food in often very busy circumstances. If you're in the area do make sure you pay this place a visit - you won't be disappointed. read more

The Blue Legume - Coffee & Tea Near Me - London, XGL

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My best mate and I share the same birthday and take the day off every year, hang out, be lazy and do cool shit. For the last 3 years we have gone here for breakfast every birthday and sat in the conservatory - last year we stayed for 4 hours and about 4 friends came ate and went. It's just plain great. Lots of cake too if it's your birthday. read more

The Blue Legume - Coffee & Tea Near Me - London, XGL

The Blue Legume has a myriad of inexpensive vegetarian,fish and meat dishes.If you intending to eat here then be clever and grab a seat by the bar with its mosiac tables because it does get busy.They do have an airy conservatory at the back for large group bookings. Try the smoothies,fruit juices,eggs cooked in several different ways and alsp special delights like organic waffles accompanied by a fruit platter and maple syrup. for brunch. At night the ambience changes with the candles,soundtrack of easy listeneing jazz complementing a decent wine list.The cuisine is Turkish inspired,the pies de resistance being the aubergine parcel with roasted vegetables crowned with goat's cheese,and leave some room for the legendary lemon cheesecake. read more

The Blue Legume - lemoncheesecake - Coffee & Tea Near Me - London, XGL

This is an adorable cafe in Stokey and highly worth a visit for BREAKFAST/BRUNCH. It seems the lunch dishes leave something to be desired, judging by the other reviewers. But I had an absolutely fab breakfast this morning - and I'd love to come back for a Saturday or Sunday breakfast again. It was a great pleasure to see chicken sausage on the menu - something that is very rare in a country that loves its PORK. The sausage plate comes with baked beans, mushrooms, tomatoes, toast, and a poached egg (which they had no problem omitting for me). I found the service to be quick and painless - and they left us alone to enjoy our breakfast (without feeling rushed out of the door - the big crowd of customers waiting for a table took care of that). Blue Legume absolutely hit the spot this morning! read more

The good thing about Blue Legume is the food. The brunch menu is broad, full of choice and delicious. Creamy scrambled eggs, eggs Benedict, huge fruit platter with waffles, full English and more. Unfortunately that's about all it has plus points for these days. I write this as a long time N16 resident who has frequented the cafe many many times over the years, but I just can't bear it any longer. The queue at the counter for the food is ridiculous & if you're sat on either side of it it makes your eating experience quite unpleasant as customers & waiting staff are constantly squeezing past each other & past the queue. Why they don't have someone seating people & staff taking table orders is beyond me. Then there's the staff attitude. They're very busy. Very rushed. And don't we know it. There's a way to quickly & efficiently wait tables. And then there's a way to seem stressed out, abrupt & desperate for you to finish your food so they can put someone else in your seat. They chose the latter. Then there's the incredibly noisy service area mostly conservatory side. The coffee machine is ridiculously loud, as is the constant banging & crashing of plates & cutlery. But they're really really busy, so there's no time to put things down carefully or in some relatively non-deafening fashion - so you either have the joy of the queue on the front side, or this cacophony on the other side. Oh and be warned. You can't take your laptop in at the weekends. If you do the manager will be a total arsehole about it even though there are no signs and none of the waiting staff have told you. Sadly there is nothing relaxing about the experience of eating in the Blue Legume at weekends. I'm going to start eating brunch at the Fat Cat Cafe from now on, they seem a lot more relaxed, happy to see you and also have superb food (cakes to die for!). read more

Great little cafe. Decently priced food with a bit more flare than your average corner caf. I had the hashbrown breakfast: eggs, bacon, tomato, hashbrowns...similar to tater tots, but you know the ones that are shaped like triangles? yeah, nice little piece of home right there. On another occasion I had the halloumi and linguica lunch salad. It was tasty and big, and I even shared some of it with a friend and still was satisfied. Cozy and dark. There's seating in the back as well, in this nice glass room, lots of light without the london cold. The manager?, owner? was super nice. THE PLACE IS CASH ONLY...and he found out that I had gone out to the off license down the road to get out cash (they charge like £1.80) so he took a pound off my bill. Cool beans. I was mesmerized by their giant pulley thing next to the kitchen elevator. I think that's how they send orders down. so random and cool. read more

Absolutely delicious! I've eaten here a few times but love dropping in for a quick coffee. The staff are also very friendly and I like the feel and decor of the cafe, very gardeny! Also don't forgot to catch a look at the ceiling, it's amazing! read more

I met a friend at the Blue Legume for the first time last week and was pleasantly surprised, a) by how paradoxically easy it was to find owing to the huge aubergine decoy - why not a legume? - on its awning, and b) by the quality of its coffee. We sat in the cafe's conservatory which was awash with the Stoke Newington usuals - yummy mummy's and trendy twenty-somethings - which was lovely and light despite the poor weather. My double espresso was well made, the staff polite and friendly and I'll definitely be returning to try out some of the Blue Legume's famed dishes. read more

There is a reason this cafe is always heaving at the weekend as it is the perfect place to come for a sustaining brunch. The full English breakfast and the vegetarian version are both pretty perfect, hearty and not greasy. There are also a variety of other warming dishes available through the day and the recently refurbished room is a great place to pass a couple of hours with a friend and some good gossip from the night before. Like anywhere in Stoke Newington it is heavy on the buggy brigade but this doesn't have such an overwhelming, invading the creche effect as in other, smaller restaurants. read more

The Blue Legume - Coffee & Tea Near Me - London, XGL

Tried this after spotting it on qype. Originally a veggie cafe (hence the name) but now they have sold out and added meat to the menu! I'm not veggie so I don't care, but we had a really nice breakfast here yesterday morning. There are parking spaces just outside the door and no restrictions after 12 I think which is handy. I had the honey waffles with a fruit platter but don't order it if you think you fancy waffles. It includes 3 of those tiny round flat waffles you sometimes see, but the huge plate was mainly made up of loads and loads of fruit. It was really cool, just unexpected! It includes pear, apple, watermelon, galia melon, plum, nectarine, banana, kiwi, physillis and many more. I also had a banana smoothie (which was basically just a milkshake). It was very, very yum! Look forward to returning and trying out other stuff. read more

I went here for breakfast with my sister on the first morning after I'd moved to Stoke Newington. That was years ago. the decor hasn't changed in all that time but I quite like it, so why should they change it. It used to be a bit of a treat to go for a veggie cooked breakfast. I went again recently with a friend who was staying. I think the ownership has changed since I was last there. The menu is broadly the same but the service was pants! I was open-mouthed with astonishment after the waitress took our order before we sat down, rung it up on the till, took the money, then with the money still in her hand, proceeded to rearrange the cake display! Hello! We were standing there like numpties waiting for the change. Did she think we had nothing better to do than watch her fiddle with cakes? But not a flicker of apology for keeping us waiting and not a notion of customer service in her head. Further atrocities came to pass once we were seated, but I won't go into it! Needless to say, that considering the prices, I think the quality of service is disappointing. I hope it improves. I may given them another chance, but probably not for breakfast again. read more

Mmmmm, the mention of this place just makes my mouth water. The food here is simply delicious. If you can get there early enough to grab a table for Saturday brunch you will not be disappointed. The breakfast menu is varied, the portions are pletiful and the combination of foods and addition of little touches (just order the fruit platter with waffles and you'll see what I mean...) makes this place a firm favourite of mine for breakfast dining in little Stoke. The food has got a slightly mediterranean twang and if you're having difficulty visualising the dishes on the menu head over to the counter where their most popular dishes are displayed on the counter. You can even get take away. I'd definitely recommend sitting in the back conservatory section as the front area can be a little dark, or in the summer you can grab one of the few outdoor tables and watch the wonderful world walk by. Ps. As if the above wasn't good enough; the even serve Illy coffee... read more

Stokie is chock full of places to get brunch: the High Street for your Greasyspoon, Church St for fair-trade, free range and organic. Standing head and shoulders above it's Church St neighbours is the Blue Legume, home of pretty much the perfect poached egg. If cooking poached eggs is a balancing act of timing and finesse, then the Blue Legume is the Philippe Petit of egg poaching. Consequently their Eggs Benedict and Florentine (and Royale) are things of beauty. And that's before you get on to their creamy, unctuous scrambled version. If you don't fancy eggs, fear not. Honey waffles, French toast and Welsh rarebits are all great too. The reason? A respect for ingredients - they choose well and don't mess around too much. What this place isn't is a secret, far from it. Mid morning on a Saturday you'll be squeezing past buggy blockades as Stokey's yummy mummy brigade descends en mass, precocious offspring in tow. A toddler overheard one Saturday morning: "mummy I don't WANT a croissant from the bakery, I much prefer eggs florentine THERE!" (pointing to the Blue Legume). And you know something? She was right. read more

This is a nice place to hang out and just be, I like it's easy atmosphere and pleasant food. However what made this place extra special was a really friendly lady with red hair who just had that special amiable quality and friendlyness, which transformed the normal into the extraordinary. read more

One of my favourite places on Church St without doubt. A perfect spot for Saturday afternoon coffee, brunch, or relaxing breakfast. The croque madames are ace, and the fruit smoothies are hard to pass up (although I'm not sure about the ring of sugar around the top of the glass!) Oh, see if you can grab a table in the greenhouse room out back too! read more

I would go along with some of the other reviews of the Blue Legume. It's all pretty good food, kind of based around brunch and lunch, I have never been there for dinner. Standards are consistent. Difficult to classify the style of this place, but as another reviewer suggested, European style coffee house is probably a fair description. Prices are reasonable bearing in mind that the ingredients seem to be of good quality and that you are not shuffled out as soon as you've eaten. Just keep ordering coffees, desserts, cakes, juice etc and it's a nice place to while away a couple of hours. As noted there is a conservatory on the back and additionally a few small tables out front for those brave enough to sit facing the hubbub of Church Street life going by at close quarters. I suppose there is no lead in petrol anymore so the constant stream of traffic cannot do you much harm. read more

I used to basically live here. Really cozy place in Stoke Newington with a great little conservatory garden terrace. Everything on the menu is fresh and tasty, ideal place for breakfast or brunch. For lunch/dinner the burger is totally respectable, and I've never failed with a sandwich or panini either. OH AND TRY THEIR BANOFFEE PIE, JUST DO IT! read more

Cute brunch spot in Stoke Newington. Very friendly staff, yummy food... they also have a cute patio.

We love the Blue Legume and would recommend it to anyone. Good-quality, hearty dishes... and good drinks too. Also superb if you're a vegetarian. If you're going for a weekend breakfast, it's advisable to get there early. read more

Just had this place deliver my food through Deliveroo. Asked for cheese on burger: wasn't there. Ordered a lime and lemongrass soda; received another flavor. Very frustrating! read more

Ducked in here for a coffee. Although the coffee is nothing to rave about, the atmosphere was cozy in the front and the greenhouse in the back looks cozy as well. A good place to tuck in on a cold winter's day. read more

Blue Legume has a hard core Stoke Newington following. Well maybe 'hard core' is the wrong phrase as on a Sunday its mostly full of hipey-vegan-guardian-types...but you just try and skip the queue, then you'll know what I mean! If you have your wits about you try and get a table at the back of the restaurant, through a set of doors in the conservatory area. This room is a lot calmer and because you are separated from the queuing masses you can allow yourself to relax a bit more away from hurrying eyes. The menu is extensive covering salads, daily specials and larger main courses but the reason that most people make the trip is for the breakfast. However, this is no greasy spoon! There is a traditional English breakfast (all organic and free range) but we opted for Eggs Benedict and French Toast. My boyfriend, who fancies himself as a bit of an Eggs Benedict connoisseur was suitably impressed but the portion was so big that even he couldn't finish it all. This seems to be a bit of a theme as on a return trip I ordered the ravioli with summer vegetables and it must have arrived with a whole aubergine, a couple of courgettes and a few peppers on the top. I can understand that people expect mammoth breakfast portions to tackle their Sunday hangover but I found this vegetable selection frankly daunting. Nonetheless, I still think I'd still go back to the Blue Legume as the food is good, the staff are friendly and its mis-matched decor makes it feel very homely...I'll just make sure I don't eat for a few meals before hand! read more

The Blue Legume - Coffee & Tea Near Me - London, XGL

This place was nice and friendly but the food and coffee wasn't anything to write home about.

Just a short walk away from where we are staying. Awesome experience and delicious food! Their juices are fresh and really yummy

Another excellent restaurant on Stoke Newington High Street. This vegetarian place has three areas you can sit - out on the street, inside the main room or in the back conservatory. Go for the main room if you can nab a table - the street seating is only enjoyable when you can ignore the passing bendy busses. The salads are delicous and the Blue Legume do a delicious paella night for two to share on Tuesdays. Breakfasts are also very popular with the local clientele and you'll be hard pressed to get a table anytime after 11 at the weekends. The eggs Benedict is justifiably famous. read more

I have only been to this cafe once but I was truly disappointed. I had been looking forward to it for a while as the idea of the cafe seemed nice : a healthier option in London is always welcome. We got a table straight away and the service was fine, but the food was a big disappointment. I had the salmon salad and would expect a salad in this sort of place to be a scrummy treat. Instead, I had a bowl of over priced smoked salmon and lettuce. It honestly was not worth the money (if I remember correctly over £10 for my salad alone). I would not go back which is a shame because I am definitely a sucker for healthy / vegetarian / alternative restaurants. read more

This place used to be entirely vegetarian but has added some meat dishes to their menu. They serve good brunch and the portions are plenty big to fill you up. Can be quite busy especially on a weekend and there can be a lot of kids, which is not always a problem. The seating in the conservatory at the back has got a nice nature feel to it. They do not accept credit cards so be sure to bring cash or cheque-book. Staff is not always friendly and service can be a bit slow. read more

I often come to the Blue Legume for breakfast or lunch. I live locally and it's one of the lovely little cafés Stoke Newington has to offer. My favourite dish is the Mezze although they do fantastic breakfasts too. It's not too expensive however the tables are quite small so expect some plate juggling! read more

The Blue Legume was one of my favourite places to eat breakfast/brunch when I lived in Stoke Newington and I always enjoyed the food (great hangover cure!). The conservatory is an absolute suntrap on sunny days but because the place was often very busy, with people always queuing for tables, we'd normally have to be happy with wherever they could seat us. I would agree with other reviewers that the service is this place's downfall, calling to mind the phrase Customer service? What is that please? read more

Really lovely European style cafe/restaurant on Stoke Newington's buzzing Church Street. Particular favourite for me are their massive sandwiches, their chocolate brownies and excellent coffee too. There's a very pretty conservatory type area at the back of the cafe which I prefer to the seating area at the front. Not a cheap as chips place but good value for money and friendly service. read more

I love this place in the afternoon (if I get a day off...) There is a great little conservatory out the back to relax and have a late lunch.

I've always been very happy with any item on their breakfast menu (served until 4pm) but disappointed with anything else. I hate going into a restaurant and having something which I feel I could have made better at home, for example the "Thai fish cakes" tasted like something I would have made myself with a tin of tuna and leftover mashed potatoes. In my opinion go for the extensive breakfast menu and you won't be sorry read more

This place embodied the worst qualities of eating out disguised in a seemingly hip restaurant with moderate prices. We decided to try the Blue Legume just passing through Stoke Newington and seeing this inviting little cafe without much hustle (it was a Tuesday night, to be fair). However, the menu seemed to be totally out of date...they weren't serving the paella and were out of most veggie dishes. I opted for a steak and my boyfriend the moussaka. His was cold, mine was well done (I ordered it medium). I think we would have been able to handle this, had the staff not sat three rowdy guys, one of which was on his mobile the entire meal, right next to us when all of the other tables were available. After we received our dinner, we may have well walked out and the serving staff would not have noticed! We had to go to the counter and ask to see the dessert menu, and then had to ask for the bill three times. We only finally paid by going to the counter with the credit card. This is not to say the staff was angry and horrible, just inattentive and completely incapable of providing good food in a pleasant atmosphere. read more

I have often seen this tiny restaurant while either waiting for the bus or walking past on my way to a bar. I didn't have a clue what the food was like and didn't know anyone who had been there either . A couple of weeks ago curiosity got the better of me and I decided to have lunch there with a friend. Afghan Kitchen really has to be the smallest restaurant I have and ever been to and the large window facing the street and just metres away from the bus stop was a bit strange. I thought the interior was slightly clinical but reserved judgement till the food arrived. The menu was`also the the smalles t I've ever seen but then I've always been a firm believer in quality not quatity. Not familiar with Afghani food I really did not know what to expect but my lamb and spinach dish didn't have any kick. My friend had the bean curry and she said it was so mild they should've called it bean stew. So I've tried Afghan Kitchen but I doubt I'll be going back- the food was overpriced and pretty bland and the service could have been much better. read more

This is probably the biggest joke of a breakfast I've ever encountered. Carrot, orange and ginger juice was watered down and was overloaded with off orange and ginger. Our food arrived prior to our coffees, which were below sub-standard for London in 2017. The food, Croque Madame and Eggs Royal... where do I start. The bread used was an anaemic tragedy, that wouldn't be found on the shelves of Lidl, let alone on a cafe on Church Street. Ham and cheese were of equal quality of the bread and to top it of a pigeon sized "hard boiled" poached egg was placed on top. The garnish salad, was probably the freshest thing on the plate. Eggs Royal, the salmon was definitely salmon. The eggs were tasteless and cold. Hollandaise was lukewarm and the muffin was stale. Added to that, the manager rolled his eyes at his own staff members and at us after two of our cards got declined due to being human, made a mistake. And his general demeanour was nothing short of "I couldn't care less about this cafe, who eats there or what". Sorry if this sounds harsh but I want to spare others from experiencing the same levels of disappointment. read more

This place is amazing. I can't praise it enough! I've eaten everything on the menu from fruit platter to the burger and wedges and have never found fault with the food. Compared to similar cafes in this area it is really reasonably priced. Only one niggle is sometimes, when really busy, the waitresses can be quite hard to get hold of, screaming kids also frequent on a Sunday morning which isn't great with a hangover! read more

Love the cakes and coffee. Don't love the stroppy waitress whose attention span is so short she can't maintain eye contact until you finish speaking. Fruit platter is fab but avoid Friday afternoons with shrieking women and their screaming off-spring. read more

Last Saturday (2 Oct) I went to Blue Legume to celebrate my birthday with friends. I had never eaten there before, but chose it based on positive online reviews and a seemingly interesting and varied menu. The evening was an unmitigated disaster. If you like good food and value good service, you wouldn't dream of going to Blue Legume. I have never posted a restaurant review before, but the experience was so horrible and mortifying I feel compelled to share it anywhere I've read a review of the place. 1. We arrived at 8:15 but it took until 9:00 before our order was taken (and that's only because we asked them to take our order). 2. Five of the party ordered the lamb shank for their main, but some time after ordering a waiter returned to say that there were only two servings of lamb shank left and that three people had to choose something else. One of these three also had to change her starter as they'd run out of the duck too. 3. The starters were horrible. My asparagus was cold and set in cold, custard-like Hollandaise sauce with a skin. Those who ordered the cod or whitebait were presented with a plate of something mercilessly deep fat fried. 4. The mains arrived at 10pm - in dribs and drabs - almost two hours after we arrived. Most of the group were just glad that the food had finally arrived, although the general consensus was that it was bland bland bland. 5. Most of the time throughout the evening the glasses on the table were empty. I can't recall the staff once asking if we would like more drinks (let alone apologising for the lengthy wait). Attentive they were not. In fact, I'd go so far as to say they were indifferent to the point of rudeness. 6. We were seated in the conservatory at the back of the restaurant. It was raining heavily outside, but this is no reason for customers to get wet. One person in the party was dripped on throughout the evening. 7. The table was booked for 18 people, however there were 14 of us in the end (4 fewer people to be told they couldn't have what they ordered, I suppose). After the meal I asked to speak to the manager. I told him how disappointed I was with the service, and with the food that could most kindly be described as mediocre. I told him that if they were unable to accommodate large parties they shouldn't accept the bookings. He replied, and I quote 'but we do cater for parties'. Clearly you don't. 8. We couldn't make out from the bill if we received any form of discount for my complaint as it was handwritten with numbers scrawled here and there in no comprehensible order. It worked out at a highly unacceptable £20 per head. We didn't enquire further - we'd spent a disastrous three hours in the place and were keen to cut our losses. It was after 11pm when we finally left the restaurant - much later than expected, and consequently my plans for the rest of the evening were scuppered. Of all the wonderful restaurants on Church Street I had to choose this dump. Awful food, woeful service, a leaking roof and two servings of lamb shank. You've been warned. read more